^ William yohn Chute, Esq. 75 



In a long run from St. John's to Chawton Park, Mr. 

 Chute got into trouble at the fence out of Bradley- 

 Wood. He slipped as he was leading his horse, and 

 the animal trod heavily on his thigh. We who were 

 near were in great alarm, but he got up with no other 

 injury than a bruise. Mr. John Portal expressed his 

 delight that it was no worse, saying, ' Egad, I thought 

 we were going to lose our member^ * Did you } ' 

 replied Mr. Chute, rubbing the injured part. * Well, I 

 can tell you / thought I was going to lose mme' 



One day, paying his coal bill in Basingstoke, he 

 complained of the high price charged. 'Well, sir,' 

 replied the coal merchant rather pertly, ' you must re- 

 member that coals is coals, in these times.' * Indeed,' 

 rejoined Mr. Chute, * I am glad to hear you say so : 

 for what you have sent me lately have been mostly 

 s/aUs.^ 



But his peculiarities perhaps came out more in his 

 oddities than in his wit. He was very fond of sending 

 notes and messages by any chance conveyance, rather 

 than by a servant or the post. It often happened 

 that such communications miscarried, so that the earth 

 which he had intended to have stopped remained open, 

 to the injury of the next day's sport. When I was 

 living near Newbury, he wanted, one day, to let me 

 know where his hounds were to meet ; so falling in 

 with a beggar, who professed to be going towards 

 Newbury, he gave him some money, and a note to be 

 delivered to me. Of course the man found out my 

 residence, in hopes of receiving a second donation ; of 

 course too the note came too late to be of any use, 

 and cost more both to Mr. Chute and to me than the 

 postage, even in those ante-Rowland Hill days, would 

 have amounted to. 



